Analyzing what went wrong for Al Groh

For the past few weeks, I have spent some of my spare time trying to figure out what went wrong with Virginia football.

Actually, I have dedicated time to this topic for the past couple of years, talking to former coaches, administrators, and others who are closely familiar with the UVa program. While some of those findings will appear in later columns, today’s is dedicated to the here and now.

Just how did Cavalier football come unraveled? After all, the program was in pretty good shape during the early half of coach Al Groh’s tenure.

Heading into the 2006 season, Virginia had been to four straight bowl games, winning three of ’em — and the Cavs should have won the fourth had it not been for some bad officiating (according to an official critique by the ACC). The Cavaliers had beaten programs such as Florida State and Penn State.

Things appeared to be on the upswing.

A program on the rise

I’ll never forget the excitement of Wahoo fans down in Charlotte for two consecutive Continental Tire Bowl appearances. There were large numbers of UVa fans in a friendly town, two upset wins over highly-regarded Big East teams, wins in which the Cavaliers shut down some prolific offensive stars, including Heisman Trophy runner-up Larry Fitzgerald of Pittsburgh.

Several fans of the program came up and remarked about how great it was to be at bowl games with a mass of fans and were enthusiastic about where the program was headed. At the time, they were enthralled with Groh, his NFL background, his ability to attract players, his NFL connections and his work ethic.

Funny how things change.

So, what happened? Groh didn’t all of a sudden dumb himself down. He goes about his business the same way he always has.

Beginning of the end

Again, the following is what some assistant coaches who have been on Groh’s staff at one time or another perceive as what happened to bring Virginia football down.

This is a sequence, or a timeline those coaches believe contributed to the slip in Wahoo football:

* Some of the coaches believed that ACC expansion had a dramatic impact on UVa football, adding three of the Big East’s strongest teams into the mix — two of which (Virginia Tech and Boston College) were directly in the recruiting footprint of Cavalier football.

Many UVa fans who were in favor of Tech’s admission to the conference at the time have noted in recent years that by adding the Hokies, the act removed perhaps the one major recruiting advantage that UVa had over Tech — membership in the ACC.

* The Duke Experiment. According to coaches who have looked at the situation (believe me, coaches gossip as much as anyone), Duke decided to invest beaucoup monies into its program in terms of coaching staff salaries and support staff, and reshaped its philosophy on admissions policies for football players (schools will rarely admit they’re doing so, but it happens).

Virginia did not respond to any requests to make similar adjustments to aid its football program.

Duke, for example, has 13 non-coaching staff personnel that actually assist in its football operation. Meanwhile, UVa works with one of the smallest operations in the ACC.

* Some of the coaches cited the 2006 season, Virginia’s first losing campaign since 2001, as a significant turning point in terms of damaging the Cavaliers’ recruiting effort.

After all the success, the four straight bowls and the aforementioned accomplishments, after just one down season, Groh’s contract was not rolled over. This was a significant detriment in recruiting, according to those assistant coaches who do most of the recruiting work.

“What it said,” one coach commented, “was that UVa’s not happy with Groh, and that allowed opponents in the recruiting war for talent to use that against us. Some opposing recruiters were telling prospects, ‘Don’t you see what’s going on at Virginia?’”

* While UVa bounced back with a rare nine-win season in 2007 and nearly won 10 for only the second time in school history, and Groh was named ACC coach of the year for the second time, the school had an opportunity to step up and say that Groh’s tenure was a long-term situation.

It didn’t, leaving more speculation out in the recruiting world.

In January, after the Gator Bowl, the suspension of four players, including the team’s best returning defensive player (Jeffrey Fitzgerald) and quarterback (Jameel Sewell), along with two other players, added to a long list of other academic casualties over the years, such as Darryl Blackstock, Ahmad Brooks, Ottowa Anderson, Olu Hall and others.

“What this said to recruits and opposing recruiters,” another assistant coach said, “was that Virginia was already tough academically. Now the doors are getting tighter to get through and stay in. Opposing recruiters used this in a major way against Virginia.”

* September of 2008 began with No. 1 Southern Cal coming to town, but the stadium wasn’t full because UVa had decided to implement a reseating policy that angered many of its most loyal fans.

The move has had an impact ever since, although the school still will not admit that it was an ill-timed decision.

* Not long afterward, UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage dismissed starting quarterback Peter Lalich a couple of weeks into the season, forcing the coaching staff to change its style of play in midstream. Lalich’s dismissal on the heels of Sewell’s suspension left the team without its top two quarterbacks and thrust all the pressure on a redshirt sophomore, Marc Verica, who hadn’t played in a college game.

“What that said,” an assistant coach said, “along with all the other issues leading up to that, was that Virginia is not an inviting place for football players.”

Following the season, Virginia did not roll over Groh’s contract yet again, which essentially handcuffed recruiting efforts.

“Recruiters were saying, ‘Why would you go to Virginia? Their head coach isn’t going to be around,” a former assistant said.

Well, there you have it from the perspective of some assistant coaches who have come and gone and continue to watch how the program performs since their departure.

We decided to ask Groh for an official statement on what those coaches said, and he took the high road.

“I admire and respect people who show mental strength and toughness, focus and adaptability, and integrity, and have tried to use such people as models,” Groh said. “Making excuses is not part of that profile. And even accurate explanations sound like excuses. I wish we would have won more, therefore I wish I had done better.”

That was his only comment about the issues brought up although he was given opportunity to elaborate and declined.

However, he did mention in the quote that those explanations were accurate.